Stories from Tuesday, June 15, 2021

The Animal Welfare Alliance (AWA) has received a $2,500 grant for its spay/neuter program by the Louis L. & Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation. The grant is awarded in partnership with the Springfield-based Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO)...

Margaret Jane LaPlante, age 84, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, died Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at Oakdale Care Center, in Poplar Bluff. Ms. LaPlante was born August 22, 1936 in Poplar Bluff, daughter of the late Andrew Jackson and Sheba Hannah Rice. She is survived by her three children, Roger and Arden LaPlante, and Ann Andrews. Per the family’s request there will be no public funeral services...

Sharon Lee Hawkins, age 66, passed away June 13, 2021 at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was born February 7, 1955 in Poplar Bluff, daughter of the late James Casey and Mary Lee Gamble Casey. She was a member of First Christian Church of Poplar Bluff...

Construction of a new runway at the Poplar Bluff Regional Business Airport is running behind schedule, thanks to far more rain than normal for this time of year. “Normally this time of year, the rains stop and we enter our drier season, but that didn’t happen this year. We’ve had all these unseasonably heavy deluges coming down, and it has slowed the process down,” said airport manager Gary Pride...

A Poplar Bluff man is in the Butler County jail facing several charges after officials say he created a serious risk to a neighborhood at about 2:30 p.m. Monday. Timothy Wayne Williams, 45, faces charges of felony armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest, creating substantial risk of serious injury and a failure to appear warrant for assault...

Ken ‘Kenny’ Parker, 79, of Hillsboro, Missouri, formerly from Piedmont, Missouri, passed away Sunday, June 13, 2021, at Delmar Gardens South Skilled Nursing Facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Visitation for Kenny will be held Saturday, June 19 from 10 a.m. ...

Miranda Michelle Johnson, 48, of the 1200 block of 10th Street was arrested at 4:16 p.m. Monday, June 14, at 775 N. Westwood Blvd., on suspicion of peace disturbance and first-degree property damage. She was booked into the Butler County jail. Deputies went Monday, June 14, to the 400 block of Highway O to locate a known fugitive, Tyler Alan West, 35, of the 3200 block of Highway T. ...

“Trucks Gone Wild” at Brick’s Off-Road Park arguably a well-attended event each year in Butler County. That has sometimes caused problems in the past, but not so much this year. The Missouri State Highway Patrol increased its presence in the areas surrounding the event southwest of Poplar Bluff over the weekend. While there were more than 100 vehicles stopped, the attendees at the event were, for the most part, well-behaved this year...

Being a teacher is hard work, and teaching third graders can certainly be a challenge, but Lake Road Elementary Teacher of the Year Leslie Riefle seems to have found the secret to success. It’s a combination of serious and silly. “She truly respects and admires the students and parents that she serves and is a blessing to all the lives that she touches,” said sixth grade teacher Jessica Burnette, in a nomination letter...

Monday’s Games CIVIC LEAGUE Sterling Bank 14, Haffy’s 1 Smith & Sons 3, Innovative Ortho. 1 Boss Squad 3, Shoe Carnival 0 LITTLE LEAGUE Ozark Total 3, Century Twenty-One 2 Saylors Vipers 4, Focus 2 R&T Auto 17, S2 Concrete 1...